Fence-stay



R. V. CLARK.

FENCE STAY.

Patented Sept me Nouns PETERS dmmm rma wuumavou. D. c

(No Model.) I

UNITED STATES PATENT rricn ROBERT V. CLARK, OF TIFFIN, OllIO.

FENCE-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,593, dated September 7, 1897.

Application filed May 15, 1897. Serial No.. 636,656. lNo model.)

To all whom it may oon/cern,.-

.Be it known that l, Renner V. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tiffin, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Fence-Stay, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to fences, and particularly to stays for use in connection with wire fences to engage and secure the runners in the desired relative positions; and the objectin view is to provide a simple and efficient construction of lock or runner-engaging device whereby the parts are securely held against independent relative movement and whereby in case of necessity the runner may be disconnected to provide for replacingor splicing a broken runner.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of a fence having its runners connected by means of stays constructed in accordance with .my invention. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of a portionof a stay with a lock thereof engaged with a runner. Fig. 3 is an edge view ot' the same. Fig. l is a detail view in perspective of a portion of a stay with the tongues ofthe lock deliected, as seen before applying the same to a runner.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates a stay provided at intervals with locks for engagement with runners 2, the intervals between .the locks corresponding with the desired intervals between the runners. Each lock is formed byproviding longitudinal cuts or slits in the stay contiguous to and parallel with the side edges thereof, and thereby providing tongues 3, which are free at their lower extremities, in order to engage over a runner, said tongues being integral with the stay; also, the reduced portion 4C of the stay between the upstruck tongues is crimped to form a transverse seat 5 for the reception of the runner, while the tongues are crimped in the opposite direction by the operation of folding them toward the plane of the stay al ter the introduction of the runner, whereby the distance between the point of junction of each tongue with the body portion ot the stay and the lower end of the recess from which the tongue has been struck is equal to the length of the tongue. Hence when the tongue is folded rearwardly until its extremity isin theplane of the body portion of the stay said extremity is also approximately in cont-act with the lower end of the recess from which it was struck. The shoulder G at the lower end of the recess thus forms a guard, approximately in contact with which the extremity of the ton gue is arranged, whereby passing objects are prevented from being caught by the extremities of the tongues, and yet aforward pressure upon the lower extremities of the tongues, applied from the rear of the stay, will be suftcient to displace the free ends of the tongues, and therebyenable a stay to be disconnected.

From the above description it will be seen that the' essential feature of the invention resides in the fact that the tongues are formed at opposite side edges of the stay by means of cuts or slits formed approximately parallel with said side edges, said tongues and the intermediate reduced or neck portion of the stay between said tongues being crimped, respectively, in opposite directions and to the same extent, whereby the shortening of the tongues is equal to the shortening of the neel; portion, and hence of the recesses from which the tongues were struck, and therefore when the tongues are folded tolbring theirextremities into the plane of the stay they are ap-v proximately in contact with the shoulders at the lower extremities of the recesses, and are thereby protected.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is The herein-described cross-sectionally flat metallic fence-stay for connecting runners, the same being provided at intervals with runner-locks, each consisting of parallel lateral tongues 3 upstruck from the body of the IOO stay tt its edges, to form side recesses and lucent-:Let with the shoulders at the lower exro im intermediate reduced or neck portion, and tremities thereof, substantially as specified. said tongues and reduced or neck portion be- In testiinon),7 that I claim the foregoing as ing crimped or bowed respectively in opp0- inyown I have hereto affixed my signature in 5 site directions to equal extents to receive a. the presence of two witnesses.

runnertherebetween, and the extremities of ROBERT V. CLARK. the tongues being pressed rearwardly into Wt-messes: the plane of the body portion of the stay to II. J. XVELLER,

ll the lower ends of the recesses and lie in JNO. B. SCHWARZ. 

